Kelvinside Academy’s first ever female Regimental Sergeant Major has led her classmates in planting a poignant poppy field in time for Remembrance Day. And that Regimental Sergeant Major’s name is Poppy.
Poppy Graham was joined by Amanda Reid and Ushna Waseem, who have also been appointed to senior Combined Cadet Force positions at the school, to begin the Kelvinside’s Remembrance Commemorations by planting over 800 poppies.
This year, Kelvinside Academy is also one of a handful of iconic locations across Scotland to ‘Light Up Red’ in support of poppyscotland.
During the conflicts of World War One and World War Two, 177 Kelvinside Academy pupils fought and lost their lives. In recognition of their sacrifice, Kelvinside Academy is a War Memorial School. The school also has its own Cadet Force with Royal Navy, Army and RAF sections.
Rector of Kelvinside Academy, Daniel Wyatt, said: “We truly value our military connections and operate one of the largest CCF programmes in the country, supporting our boys’ and girls’ character education and leadership development superbly. The commitment and bravery of the armed forces is close to our hearts and plays a significant part in our identity and history.”
The school, which is based in Glasgow’s West End, is also the first school in Scotland to officially sign the Armed Forces Covenant, an initiative which provides existing and past members of the armed forces with access to jobs, financial assistance, education and well-being support.
Poppy Graham added: “Gratitude, discipline and togetherness have been incredibly important this year. By taking time to honour and remember those pupils at our school who came before us and made the ultimate sacrifice, we have learned valuable lessons and gained real perspective.“
“Since joining the CCF unit at Kelvinside Academy in S3, I’ve learned so much about the sacrifices our armed forces make. We are forever indebted to the pupils just like us who lost their lives during World War One and World War Two.”
